Simon Cowell and Empire magazine celebrate their birthdays twice

Simon Cowell had two celebrations for his 50th. Photograph: Stewart Cook/Rex Features

Forget about Simon Cowell, who held two birthday parties, some way apart, to celebrate his 50th. The most extended birthday celebration goes to the good people of Empire magazine, which marked its 20th birthday with a Steven Spielberg edited issue in June and will this month unveil an... "amazing 20-year annual special edition". For its 20th birthday, see? It's a "collectors' issue", obviously, and will feature contributions from each of its eight editors explaining why the magazine was better when they edited it than at any other time in its history. (We're joking. Probably).